Campo Limpo System

About the System

Background, context of activities and representativeness of the Campo Limpo System

Campo Limpo System is the name of the Brazilian reverse logistics program of empty crop protection packaging in which inpEV acts as its intelligence hub. It covers all regions in the country and its basis is the concept of shared responsibilities: producers, industry, distribution channels and government have specific roles and responsibilities in the work flow of the program, defined by law.

The capillarity of the actions and excellence in articulation among the different agents of the agricultural productive chain in the System make Brazil a global benchmark. The country is a reference in the environmentally proper disposal of empty crop protection packaging, with an annual average of 94% of commercialized primary plastic packages.

Besides its broad coverage and different collection modes - which in some regions is done by itinerant collection stations -, the Campo Limpo System offers another important differential: constant improvements. The System follows the evolution of Brazilian agriculture and agribusiness, which has grown above the average of other industrial and services sectors. With the expansion of the agricultural frontier and cultivation modernization, the use of inputs such as crop protection products has also grown. If the resulting waste were not properly managed, surely there would be environmental impacts. When packages are abandoned in the environment or inappropriately disposed, they can contaminate the soil, surface water and water tables. There is also the problem of indiscriminate reuse of packaging, which places the health of people and animals at risk.

This is how things were prior to implementing the reverse logistics program for these materials. According to a survey done by Andef (National Plant Health Association), in 1999 50% of empty crop protection packages in Brazil were donated or sold at the time without any criterion; 25% were burned in the open, 10% were stored outdoors and 15% were simply abandoned in the field.

Since its operational start in 2002, the Campo Limpo System has been expanded and currently ensures the environmentally correct disposal of about 94% of primary plastic packages (those in direct contact with the product) and 80% of the total empty crop protection packages sold.

94%

of primary plastic packages sold are disposed of in an environmentally correct fashion.

Around 95% of the material received by the System can return to the productive cycle as raw material for other products. This corresponds to the average percentage of recyclable packages: washable plastic packages that have been properly washed after usage in the field, as well as cardboard and metallic ones. Non-washable packages (about 5% of the total sold) and those not properly washed by farmers are forwarded to accredited incinerators.

Overall, the Campo Limpo System relies on more than 1,500 direct and indirect employees. Direct employees are represented by inpEV workers, who are based at the administrative headquarters and self-owned receiving units, and the Regional Operational Coordination Centers. All workers at all other receiving units, from the recycling and incineration units of partnering companies and those involved with several phases of the System, such as specialized packaging transportation and logistics operations are considered as indirect.